On June 27, we celebrate Canadian Multiculturalism Day, a day to recognize and honour the many cultural communities that build Canada. At Pacific Coastal Airlines, we proudly reflect Canada’s diversity and multiculturalism through our people.
Today, join us in getting to know Faras, our Vancouver Customer Service Agent, as he shares in his own words how his story has been shaped by not just one, but multiple cultures.
To represent my multiculturalism, one of the items I wear every day is a bracelet with the Kenyan flag on it. For many Kenyans living abroad, it’s a simple but meaningful connection to home.
My family is part of the Indian diaspora in East Africa, a community with deep roots along the African coast. My grandfather was a ship captain who eventually settled between Kenya and Uganda and helped my father find opportunities there. Because of that journey, I spent the first 17 years of my life growing up in Kenya. While my family’s heritage is Indian, Kenya shaped my childhood, my values, and my sense of belonging. Today as I made a similar journey across water in search of new opportunities, I still proudly identify as both Indian and Kenyan.
Growing up between cultures taught me that identity can be shaped by more than one place and more than one tradition. It gave me an appreciation for different perspectives, cultures, and ways of life. To me, multiculturalism is about embracing those differences with curiosity and respect. It has taught me to approach others with empathy, and to build connections through understanding, compassion, and a genuine openness to learning from one another.
Faras’s journey is a powerful reminder that identity is shaped by many places, people, and journeys. Multiculturalism is not something to celebrate once a year, but something to live every day. At Pacific Coastal Airlines, we are proud to be shaped by stories like this!